1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to interconnecting local area networks and more specifically to interconnecting local area networks using concurrent broadband channels on a backbone network.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Local area networks (LANs) are stand alone networks which connect a plurality of computers and other equipment. Messages are transmitted in packets along the network. Each packet contains information identifying the source computer and the computer to which the message is intended. Each computer on the network typically has a filter which screens out messages which are not intended for it. One type of network commonly used as a local area network is the ethernet network.
Various means of interconnecting or bridging the LANs have been developed. These include U.S. Pat. No. 4,539,679, by W. Bux, et al; U.S. Pat. No. 4,706,081, by J. Hart, et al; U.S. Pat. No. 4,627,052, by D. Hoare, et al; U.S. Pat. No. 4,597,078, by M. Kempf; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,549,291, by R. Renoulin, et al.
One way to interconnect LANs involves the use of a single LAN as a backbone network in order to connect all LANs in a single system together. Messages between the LANs travel across the backbone network. This type of system is limited by the capacity of the backbone network. A need exists to increase the capacity of the backbone network in order to accommodate a greater message flow between the LANs.